The Stranger in the Lifeboat: A Novel

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Three woman who join together to rent a large space along the beach in Los Angeles for their stores—a gift shop, a bakery, and a bookstore—become fast friends as they each experience the highs, and lows, of love. In some senses this, and other books from Albom, are probably rather odd to some believers and unbelievers. Within that caveat I found this a convincing story I guess. Was it an enjoyable read - yes. Was it thought provoking - maybe. I would certainly read another by this author in the future and fans of his will be very pleased by this story I think. In The Stranger in the Lifeboat, Albom keeps us guessing until the end: Is this strange man really who he claims to be? What actually happened to cause the explosion? Are the survivors in heaven, or are they in hell? The story is narrated by Benji, one of the passengers, who recounts the events in a notebook that is discovered—a year later—when the empty life raft washes up on the island of Montserrat. It falls to the island’s chief inspector, Jarty LeFleur, a man battling his own demons, to solve the mystery of what really happened. Despite that, the survivors remain by and large cynical — even when miracles come from the Lord in the form of fresh water and the extended life of one of the party. In fact, maybe the only person who does believe is the young child Alice, who shares all of her rations with the Lord and watches him with quiet devotion. “There is no faith like the faith of a child,” as Benji writes. Whoa! What a story! At first, I was afraid this might not end up being so great. The story seemed so far-fetched, but I really should have known better. Before long, that crazy story just burst into life, the tension amped up, and I was holding my breath, eyes wide as saucers. Suddenly what seemed far-fetched just a moment before now held me absolutely rapt. I don’t know how he does it, but this is my eighth Albom novel and, incredibly, they just keep getting better and better! He somehow knows how to reach our very core, touching something deep within us. Our hearts? Our souls? With mere words he’s able to tap into the innocence—that ability to suspend belief—that we all had as children.

I do have faith, though probably not the same kind Albom writes about. But still, I “get it”, I think because—at least in the grand scheme of things—faith is faith. That belief in some kind of higher power—whatever we choose to call it—is faith. But whatever you believe, Albom somehow knows how to make his readers feel it—and perhaps even find it—and that may be the something special he possesses. Whatever it is, I just hope he keeps it up as long as possible. My first exposure to this author was Five People You Meet in Heaven. This story deeply touched and moved my heart for a variety of reasons.

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This world can be a trying place, Inspector. Sometimes you have to shed who you were to live who you are.”

Very Jesus-y for me (no offense) - didn't hit home the way the other books did. Also, huge gaps in logic but perhaps this wasn't a book for logic. The story set in three stages The sea, The Land and The news. The land tells of Inspector Fleur leading an investigation when the life raft appears off a beach a year later in Montserrat. Stranger” is told in three parts; land (narrated by a police officer who, with the help of a passer-by, finds the abandoned lifeboat on shore), sea (the passengers story as told by Benji, a crewman from the sunken ship, through letters to his love) and news (news reports about the boat crash and its infamous passengers). Told this way, the reader gets to know all the details of the before, during and after, of both the event and each passenger. A sports journalist and author of nine books, Albom is most known for his bestselling 1997 memoir “Tuesdays with Morrie.” It’s this memoir in particular that solidified Albom’s ability to write about the complexities of life and the lessons to be learned from it. When someone passes, Benjamin, people always ask, ‘Why did God take them?’ A better question would be ‘Why did God give them to us?’ What did we do to deserve their love, their joy, the sweet moments we shared?”of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars The Stranger in the Lifeboat by Mitch Albom I don't consider myself a religious person at all. I do have a lot of faith and belief in a higher power though. Sometimes life is just hard so occasionally a feel-good story with an inspiring message is just what I need. Related (other books by Mitch Albom that I’ve reviewed on the blog): Finding Chika, The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto Meet the Author, Mitch Albom Well…..this review is difficult to write! If you’ve read the book, you know! So….here’s my nonreview review! When someone passes ... people always ask, 'Why would God take them?' A better question would be 'Why did God give them to us?' What did we do to deserve their love, their joy, the sweet moments we shared? ... Those moments are a gift. But their end is not a punishment ... My plans for you are not defined by this world ... Beginnings and endings are earthly ideas. I go on. And because I go on, you go on with me. Feeling loss is part of why you are on Earth. Through it, you appreciate the brief gift of human existence, and you learn to cherish the world I created for you. But the human form is not permanent. It was never meant to be. That gift belongs to the soul.”

I liked this unique way of patterning the story. Some readers might not enjoy the constant shifts in time and perspectives but I am an avid reader of historical fiction, so I am used to this kind of narrative style and even fond of it. But that’s about all I enjoyed in this book: the story structure. In a Nutshell: Intriguing concept, detached implementation. Add to this a reader with zero philosophical understanding and the result is utter confusion. Perhaps I was enamored with "Morrie" and wasn't prepared for a story like this? Or, the religious overtones in the book, I've not been in a church in decades and it's not that I don't believe there is a God, but this just seemed a stretch towards the end with Benji and Alice & their discussions in the boat when it was discovered Benji was not responsible for the sinking of the boat. A very easy book to listen to. The library bought an audio copy at my request to hear on the Overdrive app. The point of the book is that "god" exists and is watching, and that there is a heaven. Pretty much the theme of his previous books.Mitch poses the question:“I have struggled with faith much of my life. I was a dutiful altar boy, like many Irish kids, but the church and I parted company years ago…..Too much disappointment. Not enough comfort. Still, I never considered what I would do if I called for the Lord and He actually appeared before me.” I found the story gripping where you kept wanting to continue. It does reference a "god" type of character, and I'm not a believer as I'm of scientific method, but I'm aware of the possibility just per science no proof. In spite of that, it was still interesting, and I understand the main point of the book = "god" is always with you, and deceased loved ones spirits continue on in "heaven. " In my opinion, this makes this partly a fantasy book. I listened to the audiobook performed by the author. The narration performance was solid. Albom gives rhythm, emphasis, and heart to the story. Hearing the story in the author’s voice as intended is a beautiful gift. Think of Mitch Albom as the Babe Ruth of popular literature, hitting the ball out of the park every time he’s at bat. Time

Selena Gomez Takes a Social Media Hiatus Amid Concerns for World Events and Advocates for Peace and Mental Health The explosion had come during a dinner party, and the sight of most of us in dress clothes, now soaked and ripped as we huddled inside a raft, was a grim reminder of how little the natural world cares for our plans.” After a deadly ship explosion, nine people are stranded in a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean. With limited water, food and emergency supplies, the strangers become desperate for help, but there appears to be no land in sight. When three days pass, the travelers come across a lone man in the ocean, and pull him into their lifeboat as well, saving him from the waves. During introductions the man says “I am the Lord” and promises that all passengers will be rescued when they “believe He is who He says He is”. Confession: I try to avoid philosophical or spiritual content because it mostly goes over my head. This one, I read only because of the author.) This is not a spoiler, but it is interesting that God is supposed to be in the boat and people are trying to deal with why God won’t save them from the boat. It brings up very interesting questions of faith and why were here.

The chapters are numbered, but also titled as Sea, Land and News. The reader immediately knows which part of the parallel storyline is to follow. The boat was damaged by 3 big whales that rammed into the hull, because they were disturbed by the loud music. Human made noise does disturb ocean creatures and mammals, because they communicate by sound and use radar, and it interferes with this and upsets and confuses them. A book begging to be read on the beach, with the sun warming the sand and salt in the air: pure escapism. In The Stranger in the Lifeboat, Albom keeps us guessing until the end: Is this strange man really who he claims to be? What actually happened to cause the explosion? Are the survivors in heaven, or are they in hell? The story is narrated by Benji, one of the passengers, who recounts the events in a notebook that is discovered--a year later--when the empty life raft washes up on the island of Montserrat. It falls to the island's chief inspector, Jarty LeFleur, a man battling his own demons, to solve the mystery of what really happened.